Feel like grilling chicken, but you're craving Chinese? Try our Panda Express teriyaki chicken copycat recipe and you'll get the best of both worlds.
The meat is tender and abundant in flavor and the glaze is thick, sweet and savory. This dish is extremely easy to make so you can enjoy this at home any night of the week. Satisfy your Chinese fix and impress your family with this fragrant and flavorful dinner entree.
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Ingredients
All the ingredients for this healthy teriyaki entree can be easily found at your local grocery store, with the exception of the Shoaxing wine. Cooking sherry can be used instead.
- Meat: We used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but breasts would also work.
- Aromatics: Fresh minced garlic and ginger are used in the teriyaki sauce.
- Wine: Shoaxing wine or cooking sherry is used in the marinade and in the teriyaki sauce.
- Oil: We used classic olive oil for grilling and sesame oil in the marinade and in the sauce.
- Acid: We used rice vinegar in the sauce.
- Thickener: We used cornstarch in both the marinade and the sauce.
- Soy: We used reduced sodium soy sauce for the marinade and the sauce.
- Sweetener: We used light brown sugar in the sauce.
Questions
What is in Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken?
Panda Express states on their website that this entree is, "grilled chicken thigh hand-sliced to order and served with teriyaki sauce."
Is this entree healthy?
Since the meat is marinated and grilled, it has less fat than most of the other entrees they offer. When ordering this entree from Panda Express it is served on it's own without any vegetables.
You can put extra teriyaki on the chicken, but you'll have to specifically ask for it if you're ordering take out, so if you want the extra sauce check your order before driving away from the restaurant.
How many calories are in this entree?
For a 6 ounce serving size, there are 300 calories, 13g of fat, 8g of carbs, 8g of sugar, and 36g of protein.
For a serving size of one chicken thigh with ¼ of the sauce, our copycat version has 390 calories, 22g of fat, 3.9g of carbs, 14.5g of sugar and 24.5g of protein. For more nutritional information, please scroll to the end of the recipe card.
Our recipe also uses all of the ⅔ cup of teriyaki sauce in the nutrition facts. With this amount of sauce, there will be enough teriyaki for dipping or to serve on top of your rice .
How can I serve teriyaki chicken?
Panda Express serves this entree plain, without sauce or vegetables. If you want vegetables, you'll have to order their super greens if you decide to order this from this popular fast food American Chinese restaurant.
When you make our copycat version, you can serve this with steamed rice, fried rice, or cauliflower rice. Our copycat super greens are quick and easy to make and taste amazing with this entree.
This recipe makes enough teriyaki sauce to brush some on the meat and still have some leftover to spoon on top of rice. If you want something sweet, grill up some fresh pineapple slices to go as another side or a light dessert.
How to Make
Gather all the ingredients for the marinade. Whisk the ingredients together, then mix up the cornstarch slurry and whisk it into the marinade.
Place the 4 thighs in a zip-top bag and pour the marinade over top. Massage the marinade into the meat with your hands, then close up the bag and place in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Gather the ingredients for the homemade teriyaki sauce.
Place all the ingredients, except the cornstarch slurry, in a small saucepan. Whisk and bring the teriyaki sauce to a low boil over medium high heat.
Whisk in the thoroughly mixed cornstarch slurry and then reduce the heat to medium low and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. It will thicken as it starts to cool.
Brush a cast iron grill pan with olive oil and allow it to heat up until hot, roughly 2 minutes. Pat the meat with paper towel to remove excess moisture and carefully place 2 thighs in the pan.
Cook for one minute, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, then flip and cook for 5 minutes more. It's done when it is no longer pink inside and the internal temperature is 165F when a meat thermometer is inserted in the thickest part of the thigh.
Place the meat on a plate and tent with foil. Allow to rest for ten minutes for the juices to redistribute.
Slice in ½-inch slices and brush with homemade teriyaki sauce.
Serve with steamed rice and place extra teriyaki sauce on the side to use for dipping or on the rice. Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.
Feel free to add other Panda Express copycat sides like our Super Greens, Chow Mein or Fried Rice. If you want something sweet, grill up some sliced fresh pineapple to serve on the side.
Variations
- Need this gluten free? Use arrowroot instead of cornstarch, and liquid aminos or tamari instead of the soy sauce.
- Want this vegan? Use this sauce on top of grilled slabs of tofu, cauliflower florets, or mushrooms.
- Want the meat changed up? Use breast, but make sure to not over cook it.
- Need lower carbs? Omit the cornstarch or replace it with glucomannan powder used in Japanese cooking.
- Want veggies? Stir fry broccoli, white onion, red bell pepper, and zucchini.
Pro Tips
- Make the sauce and marinade the meat night before to save time.
- Use fresh garlic and ginger.
- Cook the meat in batches, if using a cast iron grill pan.
- Marinade the meat for at least 30 minutes.
- Want this sweeter? Increase the brown sugar by 2 more tablespoons.
Other Panda Express Main Courses
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Firecracker Chicken
- Sweet Fire Chicken
- Mushroom Chicken
- String Bean Chicken
- Black Pepper Chicken
Other Panda Express Sides
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Recipe
Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
For the Grilled Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Marinade
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons Shoaxing wine or cooking sherry
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Teriyaki Sauce
- ⅓ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons shoaxing wine or cooking sherry
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 2 teaspoons garlic
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Whisk the ingredients together, then mix up the cornstarch slurry and whisk it into the marinade. Place the chicken in a gallon zip-top bag and pour the marinade inside. Massage the marinade into the chicken with your hand, close the bag, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- For the teriyaki sauce, whisk the rest of the ingredients, except the cornstarch slurry, in a small saucepan over medium high heat. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium low, whisk in the thoroughly mixed cornstarch slurry, and let it simmer for 5 minutes to thicken. Remove from the heat. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Place the meat on a plate and pat it dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Add the oil to a grill pan set over medium high heat and heat up the pan until it's hot, roughly 2 minutes. Carefully place two chicken thighs in the grill pan and let them cook on medium high for 1 minute, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Flip over with tongs and cook the other side for 5 to 7 minutes. Chicken is cooked when it has an internal temperature of 165 F on a meat thermometer and is no longer pink inside. Repeat with the other 2 thighs.
- Place the grilled meat on a plate and tent with foil. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
- With a serrated knife, slice the meat across the grain in half-inch strips.
- Reheat the sauce over medium low heat, then brush the sauce on top of the chicken. Extra sauce can be used for a dipping sauce or for mixing with rice. Serve the teriyaki chicken with steamed rice and garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Notes
- Save time by making the sauce and marinating the chicken night before.
- Try to use fresh garlic and ginger in the sauce for the best flavor.
- If you're using a cast iron grill pan, cook the chicken in batches.
- Plan to marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes.
- If you like a sweet teriyaki sauce, increase the brown sugar by 2 tablespoons.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Denise Stock
What can I substitute for the wine or sherry? I never have either of those and I don't want to buy a big bottle of either just for a few tablespoons for this recipe. I am most anxious to try this recipe. It sounds wonderful!!
Thanks a ton,
Denise
Emma
Denise,
To make a traditional teriyaki sauce chefs use mirin, sake or shoaxing. Substitutes can be cooking sherry, dry white wine or rice wine vinegar. If using the last two choices, counteract the sourness with 1/2 tsp sugar. For example, for 1 tsp. of mirin, sake or shoaxing needed in a recipe, substitute with 1 tsp rice wine vinegar or dry white wine and 1/2 tsp. sugar. Remember, there are 3 tsp in a U.S. tablespoon.
Lucy R
Flavor good but yet another recipe that just sticks ingredients into the recipe in any old order instead of the sequence they are used. Marinade ingredients list starts with sesame oil, sherry and soy but the instructions start with mix cornstarch and slurry. UGH!
Emma
Lucy, Thanks for letting us know of this mistake in the recipe card - cornstarch slurry instructions were in the wrong order. It is now fixed. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed the flavor of our teriyaki chicken.
Tiffany
Can i use shrimp for this recipe instead of chicken?
Emma
Yes, you definitely could!
Jennifer L Parker
I made this for my "foodie" husband and he said it was the best chicken teriyaki he's ever had!
Emma
That's quite a compliment! Thank you so much.
Jeff
I made this for our finicky teens last night and it was very well received. They asked for seconds! I am sure I will make it again in the future. We did not have rice vinegar on hand so i used apple cider vinegar. No one seemed to notice (I'm vegetarian and did not have the meal).
By the way, your site states, "we love to inspire moms to cook from scratch with real food for their families." While i am sure more moms cook than dads, some of us dads share those responsibilities. This is not a major issue but the statement is shortsighted.
Emma
We're thrilled to hear that your teens enjoyed the chicken so much, Jeff! It can be hard to please picky eaters, but we're glad it met with their approval. Kudos to you for being such a champion dad in the kitchen!
Beth
The chicken is chewy, and the sauce is thick and tangy. The sauce tastes garlicky, sweet, and then tangy. The chicken is yummy!
Emma
We're so glad that you enjoyed this, Beth!
Alex
The chicken is soft, tender, and juicy. The sauce is sweet, savory, and salty. I enjoyed this copycat recipe!
Emma
That's wonderful to hear, Alex!